Gearing device



A. BERNDT cmamc nnvxcs Oct. 10, 1950 Filed June 14, 1946 s nug/INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 10, 1950 GEARING DEVICE Arthur Berndt, New York, N. Y.

Application June 14, 1946, Serial No. 676,700

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a combined toothed and friction gearing of thegeneral character described in the copending application Ser. No.558,105 filed October 10, 1944. The feature of the invention is a fluentmechanical drive, connecting two shafts of different speed duringrotation without stopping or eliminating the power, synchronizing andengaging unlimited sets of gears at any speed ratio successively oneafter another, infinitely like a fluent mechanical speed-bridge, thegearing operated by any conventional shifting device, preferablyautomatically.

The object of the invention is first, to improve the essential parts ofthe combined toothed and friction gearing as conical cam and frictioncylinder of the character described in Ser. No. 558,105, now Patent2,435,122.

Object of the invention is further, to construct a new type of gearingat continuously variable speed by means of shifting coaxial clutchesthru the hub of constant meshed gears, successively synchronizing andengaging unlimited sets of gears at any speed ratio, the gearing beingof. positive displacement as the applied friction elements areingredients of an intermeshed gearingsystem.

Other objects of the invention will be more apparent in the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are side plan views partly in section, showingschematically the improved conical cam and friction cylinder of thecharacter described in Ser. No. 558,105 and their operation by shiftinga spline like clutch thru the hub of the gear,

Figs. 4 and 5 are side plan views partly in section showing a fluentmechanical speed-bridge in a speed change mechanism at continuouslyvariable speed corresponding to Figs. 1, 2 and 3,

AA, BB are transversal sections as indicated.

Fig. 1 shows conical cams and friction cylinders of the characterdescribed in Ser. No. 558,- 105. Two opposite cones I are joined attheir apex and splined to the driving shaft 2. Two (or more) frictioncylinders 3 mounted around the cones are movably splined to a supportinghousing 4 which is fixed to the driven shaft 5, the friction cylindershaving conical friction surface corresponding to the cones. Acompression spring 6 is pressing the friction cylinder against theconical cams. The cone sliding along the friction cylinder is causing agradually increasing friction power equalizing and thus synchronizingdifferent speeds of driving and driven shafts, as detailed described inSer. No. 558,105. Additionally to the conical cams l are cylinder-cams land to the friction cylinders a center-ball 8 imbedded at the apex foran anti-frictional contact during mesh. The cone-arrangement I allows areverse motion and a number of friction cylinders permits an increase offriction power at several contacts and a power-transmission to differentdirections.

Figs. 2 and 3 are showing transmissions with coneand cylinder-cams andfriction cylinders like Fig. 1 at one set of constant meshed gears,shifting a spline like clutch axially thru the hub of the gear, Fig. 2(for right angle shaftdrive) with friction cylinder 3 inside the drivenbevel gear 9, and Fig. 3 (for parallel shaft-drive) with frictioncylinder 3 connected to the driven parallel gear H by means of beveledpinion-train I2 at the countershaft I0.

One of the intermeshed gears is fixed to the driven shaft 5 respectivelytothe countershaft' l0 and the other gear is carried by and freelyturning around the driving shaft 2. A clutch 13 with external splinelike teeth and conical and cylinder-cams 1 respectively 1 are mountedtogether to a sliding clutch-cam-block which is splined to the drivingshaft 2.

In operation the clutch-cam-block moves coaxially from neutral, as seenin the drawing, thru the hub of the gear toward the friction cylinder,

first synchronizing different speeds by frictional contact of conicalcam with friction cylinder, then disengaging friction elements byanti-frictional contact of center-ball 8 with cylinder-cam T, andmeshing the teeth of the clutch 3 with corresponding coaxial teeth M inthe hub-center of the gear, thus locking the intermeshed gears with theclutch.

As seen at the transversal sections A-A and BB a plurality of equallysized and spaced spline teeth is provided on the clutch andcorresponding teeth in the hub-center of the gear, to facilitate theoperation.

Fig. 4 shows the operation of a fluent mechanical speed-bridge in achange speed-transmission box corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2 with a,number of bevel-gears and coneand cylinder-cams, con- Like Fig. 2 onegear of each set is carried by,

the driving shaft and freely turning about its clutch-cam-block, thegears suitably journalled at 22 and in the hub-center provided withspline teeth M. The corresponding gears carried by the driven shaft 5are suitably fastenedtogether or preferably cast in one piece as seen inthe drawing at 23.

In operation the clutch-cam-block moves like Fig. 2, first synchronizingthe gear-set 15 by frictional contact of friction cylinder 3 withconecam 11, then disengaging friction elements by anti-frictionalcontact of center-ball 8 with cylinder-cam l9, and meshing the teeth ofthe spline-clutch l3 with corresponding teeth M in the hub center of thegear, thus locking the gearset [5 with the clutch. Continuing the saidmotion the clutch-cam-block slides further thru the hub of the gear l5and as seen as the gear-set 15 is completely disengaged the frictioncylinder contacts the cone-cam I8 synchronizing the next gear-set 16,then disengaging friction elements at center-ball 8 and. cylinder-cam 26and locking gear-set 16 together with the clutch, then disengaginggear-set l6 and repeating this gearingprocess until all five gear-setsare successively synchronized and locked. Moving the clutchcam-block inopposite direction until neutral all gear-sets will be successivelyresynchronized and relocked in the opposite way.

Fig. 5 shows the operation of a fluent mechanical speed-bridge in achange speed-transmission box corresponding to Figs. 1 and 3 with anumber of parallel gears and coneand cylindercams, containing threeconstant meshed sets of gears 24, 25 and 26 at a progressive gear-ratio(1:2, 121.5 and 1:1) and for reverse motion opposite to the clutch oneseparate gear-set 27 at gear-ratio of 1:2 intermeshed with a reversingpinion at 23, the spline-clutch mounted with four coneand cylinder-camsand shift-lever 21 to a sliding clutch-cam-block, which is splined tothe driving shaft 2'. The gears are carried and journalled like in Fig.4, the gears 29 keyed to the countershaft I and preferably cast in onepiece. a

In operation the clutch-cam-block moves in both directions like in Fig.4, synchronizing, engaging and disengaging successively the gearsets 24,2 and 26. For reverse motion the clutchcam-block moves from neutral inopposite direction engaging the reverse gears 27 and reversing pinion at28 after synchronization b frictional contact of friction cylinder 3with an opposite cone-cam, which are in mesh with the antifrictionalcontact of center-ball with cylindercam 3| during positive engagement.

Fig. 6 shows a different combination of conical cams and frictioncylinders.

Iclaim:

1. m a speed changing mechanism of intermeshing gear-cones wherein thespeed change is accomplished by shifting a sliding key-clutch: agear-cluster including a driving shaft, and a driven shaft, a toothedkey-clutch splined to the driving shaft and movable thru the hub of thegears, said shafts carrying plural sets of gears at a progressivespeed-ratio, the gears carried by the driving shaft being provided inthe hub-center with coaxial teeth corresponding to the clutchteeth; aspeed-bridge for variable speed control consisting of conical frictioncams and cylindrical cams coaxially connected with said keyclutch, and afriction cylinder spring actuated and splined to a supporting housingconnected to the driven shaft, said friction cylinder being providedwith a conical friction surface for fric-- tional engagement with saidconical friction cams, to synchronize successively different speedsbefore clutching; a center-ball on the apex of said friction cylinderfor antifrictional contact with said cylindrical cams duringclutching-periods; the size of cams and friction cylinder being proportional to the corresponding gears, and said gears and cams beingsuitably spaced for successive action.

2. In a speed changing mechanism of intermeshing gear-cones wherein thespeed change is accomplished by shifting a sliding key-clutch: agear-cluster including a driving shaft, and at right angle a drivenshaft, 2. toothed key-clutch splined to the driving shaft and movablethru the hub of the gears, said shafts carrying plural sets ofbevel-gears at a progressive speed-ratio, the gears carried by thedriving shaft being provided in the hub-center with coaxial teethcorresponding to the clutch-teeth; a speedbridge for variable speedcontrol consisting of conical friction cams and cylindrical camscoaxially connected with said key-clutch, and a friction cylinder springactuated and splined to a supporting housing mounted to the drivenshaft, said friction cylinder being provided with a conical frictionsurface for frictional engagement with said conical friction cams, tosynchronize successively different speeds before clutching; acenter-ball on the apex of said friction cylinder for antifrictionalcontact with said cylindrical cams dur ings clutching-periods; the sizeof cams and friction cylinder being proportional to the correspondinggears, and said ears and cams being suitably spaced for successiveaction.

3. In a speed changing mechanism of intermeshing gear-cones wherein thespeed change is accomplished by shifting a sliding key-clutch: agear-cluster including a driving shaft, and a parallel driven shaft, atoothed key-clutch splined to the driving shaft and movable thru the hubof the gears, said shafts carrying plural sets of spur-gears at a,progressive speed-ratio, the gears carried b the driving shaft beingprovided in the hub-center with coaxial teeth corresponding to theclutch-teeth; a speed-bridge for variable speed control consisting ofconical friction cams and cylindrical cams coaxially connected with saidkey-clutch, and a friction cylinder spring REFERENCES CITED iliefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 936,338 Mayo Oct. 12, 19091,037,718 Babcock Sept. 3, 1912 1,241,924 Cole Oct. 3, 1917 1,450,266Taylor Apr. 3, 1923 1,620,760 Hayes Mar. 15, 1927 2,416,154 Chilton Feb.18, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 196,836 Great Britain May3, 1923

